After months-long delay: Senate panel to take up immunisation bill on Nov 24

Body seeks report on why the bill has been delayed from NHSRC ministry.

ISLAMABAD: After months of delay, a proposed legislation to cover vaccination and the protection of health workers who carry it out will finally be taken up for discussion by a Senate panel on November 24.

“A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC) has been scheduled for November 24,” an official of the ministry confirmed to The Express Tribune on Friday.

“The committee has asked the ministry to submit a detailed report on the draft bill [on immunisation] and the reasons as to why it has been delayed,” he said on condition of anonymity. He added that the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) is in the process of compiling the report.

“The delay no doubt shows how much this government is committed to protecting children and improving the coverage of routine immunisation in the country,” said the official.

According to him, the draft bill was on the agenda of last month’s meeting of the Senate panel but was not taken up after some members said they were not sufficiently aware of the legislation.

Committee chairman Sajjad Hussain Turi said a public hearing was held to discuss the proposed legislation with all stakeholders and concerned parliamentarians.

“Despite that, a few [panel members] still said they were not aware of it [the bill],” he told The Express Tribune. Turi added that the panel wanted to discuss the draft bill in a later meeting but most top health ministry officials were busy travelling.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2015.